Name: * Level: 23 Race: Panguana
Age: 13 Years
Status: Health: 5456/5456 Mana: 845/845
Strength: 2345 Intelligence: 330
Vitality: 2352 Wisdom: 1098
Agility: 4078 Stamina: 2989/3120
Effects: None
Skill: Physical skills and related:
[Enhanced Claws Lv. 9] [Enhanced Fangs Lv. 9] [Stamina Strike Lv. 5]
[Mana Strike Lv. 3] [Sundering Enhancement Lv. 6]
[Piercing Enhancement Lv. 6] [Crushing Enhancement Lv. 5]
Senses and movement skills:
[Stealth Lv. 7] [Accuracy Correction Lv. 2] [Concentration Lv. 1]
[Prediction Lv. 8] [Danger Perception Lv. 6]
[Probability Correction Lv. 6] [Enhanced Auditory Sense Lv. 5]
[Enhanced Olfactory Sense Lv. 5] [Enhanced Vision Lv. 2]
[Enhanced Enemy Sense Lv. 9]
[Tracking Lv. 6] [Night Vision Lv. 10] [Presence Killer Lv. 9] [Evasion Lv. 7]
[Acrobatic Lv. 7] [Terrain Maneuvering Lv. 7] [Swimming Lv. 7]
[Aquatic Fighter Lv. 6]
Resistances:
[Physical Resistance Lv. 8] [Pain Resistance Lv. 6] [Fear Resistance Lv. 3]
[Disease Resistance Lv. 6] [Bleed Resistance Lv. 3] [Poison Resistance Lv. 8]
[Paralyze Resistance Lv. 8] [Torpor Resistance Lv. 6] [Ice Resistance Lv. 1]
[Earth Resistance Lv. 5] [Wind Resistance Lv. 5] [Water Resistance Lv. 8]
Stat growths and related:
[Health Recovery Lv. 5] [Stamina Recovery Lv. 5]
[Enhanced Health Growth Lv. 4]
[Enhanced Health Capacity Lv. 3]
[Enhanced Strength Growth Lv. 5]
[Enhanced Strength Enforcement Lv. 4]
[Enhanced Vitality Growth Lv. 5]
[Enhanced Vitality Enforcement Lv. 3]
[Enhanced Wisdom Growth Lv. 1]
[Enhanced Agility Growth Lv. 6]
[Enhanced Agility Enforcement Lv. 4]
[Enhanced Stamina Growth Lv. 5]
[Enhanced Stamina Capacity Lv. 3]
Others:
[Molting Lv. 7]
[collapse]Sheesh, pretty high stats for pack animals. Why couldn’t you be like the chameleons?
I probably could take them on with my minor form, using magic to send down a barrage on them, but I really didn’t have the time for this. I had to hurry up, and with three C ranks in front of me, with stats only a bit lower than my dragon form, I shouldn’t be risking it.
Time to go dragon. However…
Before I transformed, I had to take off my party bracelet, as it would break if I were to transform. And this was something the panguana trio weren’t allowing me at all. They immediately pounced at me, giving me no time to even think of a strategy.
I was only able to react to this sudden attack purely ‘cause of my skills and buff spells. If [Prediction] and [Danger Perception] hadn’t warned me or if I hadn’t cast [Haste] and [Swift Winds] onto myself, then I would have been forced to rely on [Draconic Barrier] to ward off their attacks.
Narrowly ducking under the combined triple attack, I couldn’t help but fully acknowledged going into this with my dragonewt form wouldn’t work. Their Agility was higher than mine, right now, and that meant I had to actually focus to dodge them.
It also didn't help the area we were fighting in had water high enough it reached my legs. It only slowed me down by a bit, but any extra effort would sap my Stamina even further.
[“Sorry, no EXP for you, Tasianna. I can’t fight like this,”] I announced to Tasianna.
[“I-I understand! Do not worry about me, I’ll provide support as much as I can!”] she answered slightly anxious.
[“Good! Rajah, grab onto my shoulders, like your life is hanging on it!”] I shouted, making sure that my virigress pet understood my order.
“M-Mreow…,” knowing that I was correct, he made himself smaller and sat on my back like a backpack.
Parallel minds, I need some distance! Buy me some time! Terra Wall! Flame Explosion! The rest, shoot Inferno Blasts at them!
Snapping my head around, I threw away caution for the forest and dedicated myself to winning this battle. Still moving through the air, I constructed a wall made of earth in front of them, blocking their direct line of sight to me. Knowing they could easily sense me using [Enhanced Enemy Sense Lv. 9], I immediately readied multiple [Inferno Blast]s and [Flame Explosion], finishing my preparations.
Rajah sadly wasn’t Saori. If she was here, she could probably provide better combat support than Rajah throwing down some bombs, and even that plan was a bit dangerous since Rajah didn’t have proper protection in case of an incident. He was a bit of a burden, to be honest, but I just gotta wing it now.
While I was fiddling with my braclet, the three panguanas jumped out of the cover of my [Terra Wall], prompting me to activate my barrage of spells. Predicting something was about to happen, instead of dodging it, two of them simply shoved the one close to all the attacks. Even more surprising, he didn’t resist and embraced all the attacks.
The [Inferno Blast]s melted through his hardy scales, searing the flesh behind it. Taking all of these attacks, the panguana’s health melted until it reached 60%, that was when my [Flame Explosion] activated and sent the burning iguana-tiger chimera flying away. The sheer heat of these fire spells caused the surrounding water to evaporate, creating a smokescreen to hide the other panguanas from plain sight.
No level up? No way, did it survive?!
Without a System notification, if I gained experience or not, I was unsure if my attacks killed it or not, but I couldn't afford to pay attention to the heavily wounded one when the other two were still on their feet.
Using the sacrifice of their comrade, the two remaining monsters escaped my attacks with singed hairs and slightly cracked scales. Due to [Humanized (Moderate)] reducing my original Agility to 2851, [Swift Winds] wasn’t enough to significantly close in the difference. The stat contrast showed as I knew I couldn’t dodge their combined attacks in time.
[“Frozen Shield!”]
Fortunately for me, I wasn’t alone either. Unveiling the cyan-colored magic circle, Tasianna materialized a shield around my size in front of me to block the next attacks. It held strong, but the impact pushed the floating ice shield right onto my arms.
“Urghi.” Instantly feeling numb, I couldn’t help but moan as my wet scales stuck onto the freezing shield. [“[Cryokinesis]! Use it and help me push!”]
Enduring through the cold pain, I gripped the shield with my other hand and dragged the huge tower shield with Tasianna’s help to the side. As the panguanas’ legs were wet from the marsh, they shared my fate as their limbs were stuck on it, enabling me to pull them around.
“Wind Blast!”
Activating the wind spell behind the shield, it tore off my scales as it launched itself like a cannon forward. The two panguanas crashed right into a tree, only for them to recover almost instantaneously without any signs of pain, to tear off the shield stuck on them, before rushing back into battle like barbarians.
Almost done! I glanced at my bracelet, before gnashing my fangs together, causing a spark.
Spark Flame!
I spewed out intense dragon fire to defend myself. The powerful fire easily transformed anything liquid into a white mist. As the stream of fire showed no sign of disappearing, the panguanas understood they couldn’t attack while I kept using my dragon breath.
[“I-It’s too hot!”] Tasianna shouted, sweat covering her forehead from being close to my [Spark Flame].
Shit!
I snap shut my mouth, interrupting the stream of fire to let Tasianna cool down, before using a smaller flame breath to warm up my shivering arms before healing them with [Moderate Heal] to regrow my scales. At the same time, I finally had the time to pull my bracelet off and place it in my storage, before using [Humanize], finally having enough time to transform into a more suitable form to close into the stat difference.
While the mana mist surrounded my body, my lack of attacks allowed the panguana to charge at me. With the steam creating a smokescreen around me, the panguana probably couldn’t tell what was happening, but they probably were smart enough to understand I was planning something. With their massive arms, they swiped at me.
But, it was too late.
“Krrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
Roaring, I lunged forward, revealing my large agape dragon mouth. The shock in the panguanas’ eyes were clear to see, and it instantly turned into fear when I bit down into one of them.
Spark Fangs!
“Kruuuuuuuaaaah!”
Urgh! Blood!
My fangs dug right into his arm. My Strength was around 2783 right now, far higher than his, and with [Holy Strength] and [Strengthening Flames] active, it increased even further. With this new herculean strength, I turned the tides on the beasties, slamming my prey onto the ground before tearing his limb right off!
“Kraaaaaaaaahhh!” It howled in agony, only for me to drown it out with my own voice, using [Draconic Roar] to keep it pinned on the ground. They will come to learn they underestimated the wrong apex predator!
Without showing it any mercy, I snapped my fingers, wrapping them in searing hot flames with [Spark Claws]. Once I stopped roaring, noticing blood was dripping from its ears, I double slashed the monster’s throat, tearing out cooked pieces of meat with my sickle-like claws.
[“Duck!”]
Obeying Tasianna and [Prediction], I temporarily badoned my plans to kill the panguana off now and did what they wanted.
[“Ice Spike!”]
“Kriiiiieeeeh!” A viscous cry resounded above me.
Looking up, I saw an [Ice Spike] having penetrated the second panguana’s mouth. The sharp spike made it impossible for it to close its mouth. Digging my tail into the ground, I used it as an anchor, spinning my body around to gain the momentum to punch the panguana in its face.
Dragon Punch!!!!!!!! … Oh come, System! Give me a bone here and make it an ability already! Bummer…
[“Woo, nice shot, Tasianna.”] I praised Tasianna instead of lingering on that stupid idea.
Flustered by my praise, Tasianna stumbled on her words as she smiled. [“O-Oh, yes, thank you very much, Lady-watch out!”]
Agitated by Tasianna’s warning, I was about to cast [Sanctuary] but stopped when Tasianna shouted: "I can do it!". Turning my head around, I realized what was about to hit us wasn't claws or a bite but a white blade.
Struggling on my head, Tasianna stretched out her arms and told the frisbee to stop… which to my surprise, it did! Upon a closer look, the rotating object wasn’t a weapon but the cracked [Frozen Shield] Tasianna created.
[“W-Woah, I-I actually did it,”] Tasianna blurted out, seemingly surprised by her ability to control her own spell with [Cryokinesis].
Confused how a shard of that shield was thrown at us, I snapped my head around, only to see the third panguana — the one I burned into crisp — stand upright with the other shield shard in its mouth, ready to be thrown.
Oi, where are its burns?!
A quick search through its status board showed me that its miraculous regeneration was due to its [Molting] skill.
…He hasn’t fully regenerated his Health but that’s pretty strong if you give somebo— Hey!
The panguana with the ice spike in its jaw swiped at me, fighting on and once again showing how absolutely honey badger-like these things are. At least, their attitude when it comes to fighting. Even after all the things I showed them, even critically injuring one of them, they still couldn’t give a damn.
Well, I couldn’t give an F about them, then.
[“Lady Hestia!”] Tasianna called out, but I didn’t react to it, fully trusting Tasianna had it under control.
I instead headbutted the heavily injured panguana away before redirecting my focus on the second, dodging its attacks with my overwhelming Agility. Once an opening was there, I opened my mouth and spat out purple spit.
[Toxic Secretion] not only allowed me to sweat poison but also spit it out like a spitting snake. It might have [Poison Resistance], but even the panguana would feel pain if it got the toxins in its eye. With it blinded, I roared and threw a tail swipe at it, leaving a large gash on its body and sending it flying over.
Meanwhile, Tasianna used her [Cryokinesis] to throw the shield shards back at the third panguana, all while continuing her fire support with her spells. With three panguanas occupied, I had better end the job right here and now. I couldn’t allow it to [Molt] itself back up.
“Kuuugh…” the injured one groaned, trying its best to crawl away from me. However, as I said before, no mercy.
Jumping up with [Air Walk], I then cast [Wind Blast] on myself, once again astounded by the versatility of this spell. With the boost in speed, I twisted my body and slammed my tail right at its neck, decapitating it like an executioner’s blade.
Booom!
What?
As I was stuffing the beheaded panguana into my storage, I suddenly heard a giant explosion further in the rainforest, loud enough it sent a few birds flying into the air.
[“Bloody hell, they’re fighting! Tasianna, Rajah, we’re moving!”] I declared, reminded once again I didn’t have enough time here. Even if I got injured a bit, I had to hurry this fight up!
While I was summoning up multiple magic circles to prepare my rocket launch maneuver, I was suddenly hit in the head.
As Hestia was dealing with the three panguanas on her side, Caszcur and the lizardmen guards finally caught up with the two remaining ones and the group they were chasing.
“Hey, you algae infested corpse! Look over here, you stinking skink!” a loud, gruff lizard-like voice shouted.
“You two krill eaters afraid to fight us? Come and fight some actual warriors, you damn monsters!” another lizardman shouted from the top of his lungs.
"Don't look at them, look at me, you palette disasters! Smell the delicious aroma from this food? A fair-scaled one cooked for me, so if you want some then come and get it!" Holding the leftovers of today’s breakfast in his hand, one of the hunters waved it around himself.
These shouting lizards were none other than Casczur and the lizard group, barely able to keep up with the fast-moving panguanas. Even with Hestia’s buffs on them, it was plain impossible for the lizardmen to catch up to the agile panguana, however, with the terrain of the rainforest, it was also not possible for the beasts to run at full speed.
Being launched through the air, crashing and breaking through trees, wasn’t a very enjoyable experience for any of the lizardmen. The [Air Shield] surrounding them only protected them from the impact, not the nauseating effects.
Despite this hardship, the impromptu rocket-launch helped them land right in front of the panguanas. Quickly recovering from the landing due to [Featherfall] prevented all the fall damage, Caszcur and the others began throwing the poison bombs at the panguanas, however, to little effect.
Hestia, as she didn’t want to risk Caszcur’s life, decided to give them bombs filled with moderate grade poison gas, something she could heal in the worst case their [Air Shield] was dispelled. A wise decision, as the landing managed to destroy the air barrier around them, leaving them vulnerable.
Only slowly the panguanas a bit, Caszcur and the others were shocked to learn this, as they saw how effective Hestia’s toxins were yesterday. Not knowing what to do, they tried to threaten and look intimidating to scare the panguanas away.
They were courageous enough to insult the monsters who killed the remaining powerful hunters in their group, but they weren't stupid to attack them. Their role was not to fight and win but to buy Hestia enough time so she could arrive. They might be stronger than your average human farmer, but these lizardmen were outclassed against the vicious monsters of the Belzac forest.
Ignoring the small group, the panguanas ran past them and continued their original pursuit, forcing the rescue party to follow them. As they were outmatched against the C rank monster’s immensely high Agility, it was impossible for them to catch up even with [Haste] and [Swift Winds] buffs on them.
“Fuck! We have no choice now! I’m using our first bomb, so stay back!” Caszcur announced to the others.
As the two monsters were about to escape their sight, Caszcur decided to use the first of their three firebombs. Remembering Hestia’s instructions, he pulled out the pin and threw it using the Strength he gained from [Holy Strength] and [Strengthening Flame] at the running monsters.
As the bomb flew through the air, a gas slowly seeped into the chamber of the magic circle. As the concentration of gas increased there, it finally reached the necessary amount and exploded mid-air.
The giant flame explosion blew away trees, vegetation, and even the very ground. The panguanas, being fast enough to outrun the initial explosion were lucky enough to avoid any critical wounds, but it didn’t leave them unscathed as the shockwave caught them.
Disappearing from sight due to the smoke, the lizardmen were ecstatic their desperate throw actually hit the monsters. Rushing past the affected area, Caszcur and the lizardmen guards caught a glimpse of the fleeing group, finally confirming they truly were their lost comrades.
“Hey! Scalekins, it’s us, it’s us!” wavering his spear above his head, Caszcur used his husky voice to stop them from running. “Stop running, it’s us; your scalekins have come back for you!”
As the other lizardmen guard also joined in, the combined voices started to sound familiar to the fleeing lizardmen. As they turned their tired faces around, their desperate faces only got worse when they noticed what was approaching them. Whether it was fatigue due to a severe lack of sleep and food, or not knowing how to feel due to all the surprises they had witnessed today, the ragged group of missing lizardmen pointed their fingers at Caszcur’s direction, mumbling “L-L-Lo-Look.”
“Hey, don’t weep on us yet, you krill eaters. We still need to get you out of here!” misunderstanding their stuttering and widened eyes for elation and relief, Caszcur continued shouting cheerfully at the sight of his friends.
They might look like they went through hell but Caszcur recognized that quite a few lizardmen were still alive. Although he still remembered the dead comrade he found before and the total number of missing lizardmen were fewer than he wished, he wouldn’t let sadness control him now.
These lizardmen had lost their homes, became slaves, had to devour their own dying scalekins to stay alive, and now they actually went through the hell that was the Belzac forest. Caszcur’s heart stung from all the people he had lost over in these two tumultuous years.
However, it was through this hardship he learned to find joy and hope in the little things in life, even if they were fleeting. He wouldn’t have been able to keep onto his sanity over all this time without this reminder. He most likely would have fallen in despair just as Apsala, who had to personaly witness the deaths of many of their companions as the group’s healer.
That was why he wasn’t able to understand anything until the last moment.
"Look behind you!" a lizardman finally found the courage to warn their scale-kins… however, it was too late.
Dread filled his heart when Caszcur finally turned around, and in just like a flash he could only see blood… his own blood. Without letting his brain register the sensation, the momentum of the attack slammed his body onto the ground. The impact caused him to cough out any remaining air in his lungs as he lay on the ground battered.
“Kraa! Ha ha huff huff… huff-kraahhhhhhhhhhh!” Caszcur let out a scream filled with pain and anguish.
Getting back the oxygen he needed to survive, it only took his brain a few seconds to finally realize he was bleeding profusely. Pain coursed through his nerves until he was forced to yell in a pained voice as if it was a reflex.
“No, no, no, no, arrgh! My arm!”
Looking at the origin for his pain, Caszcur’s eyes were directed at the bloody stump that was once his forearm. He couldn’t believe it; he didn’t want to believe it. His dominant right hand was no more, his trusted body part he had been using to cut wood, polish them, and create tools and homes for his fellow scalekins was gone.
Without it, the effort he had given over these years seemingly vanished in his mind. The pain and fear wasn’t the reason for his hysteria, it was the fact the memories of these past years reminded him how fragile of an existence he was.
“Caszcur!” a lizardmen guard shouted.
“Surround him! Protect him, scalekins!” another shouted, ordering the other four guards to flank Caszcur.
“You slug brains! G-Get, argh, the hell away from me and help our scalekins!” Caszcur forced himself to speak, demanding everyone to protect the group they were planning to rescue.
“Fuck off, you krill eater!” a guard responded back in kind. “Haven’t you noticed yet? Instead of going for anybody else, they directly went for you!”
“Slice off the group’s head — you. Disorganize us by killing you,” another explained. "But I have the feeling they are just here for revenge. Hehe, just look at those skinks' faces, Caszcur."
The two panguana had them surrounded, one behind him and one directly in front of his face — the very same one that bit off his arm and was now dangling it in front of him. By turning his head around, he noticed what his comrades were telling him, that the panguana’s faces were charred red and black, the remnants of their scales melted off from the firebomb’s explosion.
“Haha, besides, don’t forget why we’re here,” a third spoke. “We only have to wait for our fair-scaled one. I have the feeling that the young scale is about finished with her part of the job. We bought enough time… now we just need to buy just a bit more… even if it costs us our lives.”
‘We die together, Caszcur.’ Caszcur managed to understand from his friend’s words.
Every single lizardman who joined this rescue mission knew the chances of surviving were low. Even with Hestia's healing spells, they couldn't be sure she would be around every single second, as it was the situation now.
They understood they joined purely so they could direct and help however they could to give Hestia the chance to rescue the rest. The lives of six elder scale lizardmen were nothing compared to the lives of the many, especially when it included many young scales. They were happy to trade theirs for them.
Lizardmen weren’t the most warlike beastmen race, but they still took pride in strength and hunting prowess. They might have been craftsmen, but their pride as men stung whenever they saw a hunter dying in front of them, protecting the important craftsmen of the group.
These six lizardmen couldn’t help but feel a bit of satisfaction that they could finally join their brethren by dying a heroic death to defend one of their own. There was no reason to fear their impending doom as they had done all they could.
“Yeah, we just need to buy some time and we… arghhhh!” a lizardman was interrupted by the swiping arms of a panguana.
Having finally had enough, the panguanas knocked the five guards out of the way, punting them away like ragdolls.
“Fuck… I guess this is it…” Caszcur mumbled as he slowly took out the two remaining bombs with his left arm, glaring at the panguana who was dangling his arm in its mouth. “You skink… I will die but I will take one of you down with me.”
As if it was done toying with its food, the panguana spit out the maimed forearm in front of Caszcur. The lizardman looked at his once trusted limb for a second, before directing his anger at the one responsible for it.
“Hehe, not even good enough for you to eat, huh? I’ll make you regret throwing away your last meal!”
Jumping on his feet, Caszcur pulled out the bombs and held the stick with his mouth, ready to pull them out any second now. Roaring “Kraaaaaaaaaaaah!” Caszcur ran towards the panguana with reckless abandon, confident that his self-sacrifice would be enough to save everybody, including his guard friends.
“Kriiiiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
Fully immersed by his own anger and revenge, Casczur wasn’t aware of anything else besides the monster who stood in front of him. Pulling the sticks out of the bombs, Caszcur was fully ready to die today.
I’ll leave the rest to you, little lady.
“Die with me!” Caszcur challenged the monster.
“Kriiiiiiiiiiiiiieheheh!” the panguana responded.
“Kriiiiiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
As if the force of the two voices combined, the surroundings began to tremble at the sound of their roars. Aiming to dodge the panguana’s attack, Caszcur readied his body to duck but little did he know that it was an unnecessary maneuver.
With the force of a landing boulder, something dropped from the sky and smashed the panguana into the ground, sending mud into the air from the sheer impact.
“Wha-!” blown away from the wind pressure, Caszcur wasn’t able to see who it was. As he recovered, his eyes widened when he learned what stopped his suicide attempt.
The person who crashed onto the panguana was covered in red scales and had a head that greatly resembled a lizardman’s. Her tail was wrapped around the neck of another panguana, while her left hand held onto a second with her long, sharp claws.
Her right hand was tightly holding onto the panguana he challenged with a fiery grip until she decided to rip its head out with sheer force. She growled, letting out a spray of fire out of her mouth.
The red-scaled girl's ferocity and appearance were all very similar to a lizardman but her large, imposing wings were an unusual sight and made it hard for Caszcur to believe who he was seeing. What was more eye-catching was the blue dress that conflicted greatly with her vibrant crimson red scales.
“Little Lady?”
“Kraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
It was a cry announcing her victory.
Have no fear! For I am here! I wanted to shout out but kept it to myself after my parallel minds warned me about how cringy it would sound.
Crashing down on the monster who was about to kill Caszcur, I thought it was the perfect moment to give a superhero entrance. Then again, maybe having Tasianna and Rajah grab onto my horns for dear life, while holding the corpses of the two other panguanas I just fought, did feel a bit anti-hero or something?
So, instead of doing that, I immediately locked my attention on the last remaining panguana and activated [Bedrock Blades] to erupt massive sharp rocks from the ground. Caught out surprised by my sudden appearance, the panguana wasn’t able to notice its doom, instantly dying from having its entire body pierced by sharp rocks.
No level up? Shame. Well, can’t help it with the bracelet back on.
“Little Lady? Is that you… no, wait, run!” I heard somebody shouting.
Looking down, I was able to see Caszcur lying on the ground while holding onto two of my firebombs with… one arm? No, I wasn’t imagining anything here; Caszcur was missing an arm and he was clutching onto the two last remaining bombs with dear life.
Realizing something was up, I jumped down and dash to his side after releasing the two corpses of panguana I carried over here.
[“Tasianna freeze his wound, now.”]
After hearing her say, “Your will, Lady Hestia.” I pulled Caszcur’s remaining arm away from his body. He was angrily shouting at me to “run away” and that I was “risking my life to help him.” It was “too late for him” apparently.
Thinking he was an even more of a drama queen than I was, I yanked the bombs away from him and sucked out the gas from the two bombs. As my bombs could only activate when the gas reached a certain concentration, you only needed to remove the toxic gas and they’d become unusable.
“Wha-?” Caszcur looked flabbergasted, maybe pale, but I couldn’t tell with all the scales on his face.
["Can't recognize me or is it something else, Caszcur? These are my bombs, of course, I know how to diffuse them,"] I said confidently.
Turning my head around, I was able to confirm that the other lizardmen guards were also alive, albeit they probably broke a bone or so. I was also able to see our rescue team was able to successfully rescue the lost lizardmen group, as I could see a large group of ragged looking ones mumbling to themselves.
I walked over to the spot where Cazscur's arm was and told Tasianna to freeze the stump. I didn't know if I could reattach Caszcur's arm but this was a good time to test the limits of my magic. If I could regenerate lost flesh, then I should be able to heal the lost limb back on him.
[“Well, there were some complications, but it seems this was a successful rescue attempt,”] I stated while kneeling beside Caszcur to heal all his wounds, aside from his right arm.
"… Haha, you truly are a girl of a lot of secrets, little lady. First, you can't speak and now you look like any other lizardkin… well besides your wings. Still, you came at the right time and saved my life. My debt to you is increasing by the second," Cascur said with a merry laugh.
[“I would have come earlier but there were some problems,”] I replied with a wry smile. [“As I said, I am a dragonewt… Well, for now. But I guess I can’t hide it anymore. Sorry about lying who I am, I’ll tell you later.”]
“I owe you my life. Night’s cloak, I don’t have a right to push you, haha!”
As I was taking care of Caszcur, Tasianna went around to tell the lizardmen guards to group up around me so I could heal them. She also took the liberty to speak with the lost lizardmen group, soothing and informing them about the situation.
While she was doing that, I retold Casczur about my little “accident.” See, when I was about to launch myself into the air, Rajah smacked me on the head from behind, making me flinch from that startling action. I was about to scold him for that but that was when I noticed the panguanas were planning to launch a last ditch effort to kill me
I didn’t notice it at first since I was worried for Caszcur, so it came as a surprise Rajah warned me of them. Annoyed by their persistence, I quickly took them down just moments before they died. I then grabbed them with my hand and tail, before blasting off with [Air Walk] and [Wind Blast].
Mid-flight, I transformed back into my minor form to put on my bracelet to activate the experience share for Tasianna. As they were too weakened at this point, it was a pretty easy kill. They were a bit heavy, but I just had to spam [Wind Blast] to make up for it.
Honestly, I was surprised Rajah of all people managed to notice them. Sure, he was smart and perceptive, but the fact he figured hitting me on the head — a dragon’s head — was the correct choice felt weird. Then again, having eyes on my back with him was pretty useful.
…Huh?
“Hmm? Something wrong, lass?” Caszcur asked me.
["Huh? Oh no, it's just… I dunno, I kinda have a feeling that we're being watched,"] I admitted, feeling tense. [“I don’t like this place.”]
After what happened when that garm stalked me in my early days, I honestly couldn’t stand being watched without knowing who it was.
“Well, if you think that’s the case then I guess we should move away. Tasianna seems to have calmed them down so I’ll get them to move as soon as possible. We need to get to a safer place anyways,” Caszcur stood up once I was done with him.
[“I know the ice is uncomfortable but hold onto it until I can figure out a way to save your arm, ok?”] I said.
“You’re gonna save my arm? Haha, I don’t know how you’re gonna do something like that, but I’m already prepared to be indebted to you again. You holy mages are a weird bunch… So, mind explaining to me what this ‘transforming’ thing you mentioned in that story?”
“Oh yeah, that’s what I wanted to talk about. You see, I’m not a dragonewt, I’m actually a drag— Woah!”
Suddenly the ground beneath me shook wildly, destabilizing my balance. That was when my skills finally activated and told me to jump away and as far as possible, ASAP! Before I could cast [Wind Blast] to blast me away, Rajah bit my arm, surprising me.
That was when my surprise turned into bewilderment as four long, dark snakes started to erupt out of Rajah’s feet and launched themselves at a nearby tree’s branch, pulling Rajah and me towards it.
Wha-? Is that [Shadow Snake]? I was reminded of the spell’s name as I had to deal with it when Tasianna and Saori nearly beat me using that spell during our spar.
Before I could ask any questions, the ground I stood on burst open to reveal an actual giant white snake. From the size of its mouth, If I stood any longer in that area, then I would have been turned into that snake’s snack.
… Identify!
Holy fucking crap!
SpoilerName: Tasianna Marina Silverpond Level: 48 Race: Fairy
Age: 87 Years Job: Mage
Status: Health: 697/697 (+145) Mana: 3265/3265 (+1087)
Strength: 151 (+86) Intelligence: 1296 (+423)
Vitality: 176 (+101) Wisdom: 875 (+316)
Agility: 932 (+324) Stamina: 719/719 (+305)
Effects: None
Skill Points: 6050 (+6050)
Skill: Magic skills and related:
[Fairy Magic] [Arcane Mind Lv. 7] (+1) [Ice Magic Lv. 2]
[Water Magic Lv. 7] (+1) [Water Amp] (New) [Wind Magic Lv. 3] (+1)
[Chant Revocation Lv. 5] (+1) [Silent Casting Lv. 1]
[Mental Stability Lv. 1] (New) [Mental Warfare Lv. 2]
Senses and movement skills:
[Stealth Lv. 3] (+1) [Accuracy Correction Lv. 1] (New)
[Enhanced Enemy Sense Lv. 3] (+1)
[Prediction Lv. 2] (+1) [Danger Perception Lv. 1] [Enhanced Vision Lv. 1]
[Night Vision Lv. 3] (+1) [Presence Killer Lv. 1] (New)
[Evasion Lv. 3] [Acrobatic Lv. 3] [Flight Acceleration Lv. 2] (+1)
[Mid-Air Maneuvering Lv. 1] [Concentration Lv. 4]
Resistance:
[Physical Resistance Lv. 3] [Pain Resistance Lv. 3]
[Poison Resistance Lv. 1] [Paralyzation Resistance Lv. 1]
[Torpor Resistance Lv. 1] [Mana Leak Resistance Lv. 1]
[Holy Resistance Lv. 1] [Fire Resistance Lv. 1]
[Water Resistance Lv. 4] [Earth Resistance Lv. 2]
[Wind Resistance Lv. 2] [Dark Resistance Lv. 1]
Stat growth and related:
[Stamina Recovery Lv. 1] (New)
[Enhanced Health Capacity Lv. 1]
[Enhanced Mana Growth Lv.´5] (+1)
[Enhanced Mana Capacity Lv. 3] (+1)
[Enhanced Intelligence Growth Lv. 5] (+1)
[Enhanced Intelligence Enforcement Lv. 3] (+1)
[Enhanced Vitality Enforcement Lv. 1]
[Enhanced Wisdom Growth Lv. 4]
[Enhanced Wisdom Enforcement Lv. 2] (+1)
[Enhanced Agility Growth Lv. 5] (+1)
[Enhanced Agility Enforcement Lv. 3] (+1)
[Enhanced Stamina Growth Lv. 2] (+1)
[Enhanced Stamina Enforcement Lv. 1]
Others:
[Singing Lv. 2] (New) [Dancing Lv. 1] (+1) [Identify Blocker Lv. 1] (New)
[Identify Lv. 3] (+1) [Cooking Lv. 3] (+2) [Herbalist Lv. 1] (New)
[Royal Etiquette Lv. 5] (+1) [Cryokinesis] [Telepathy]
Magic List: Custom spells:
[Create Water] [Greater Create Water]
Ice spells:
[Ice Spike] [Frozen Shield]
Water spells:
[Water Ball] [Water Wall] [Water Bolt] [Cleanse] [Protective Water]
[Droplet Torrent]
Wind spells:
[Wind Bullet] [Wind Cutter] [Air Shield]
Title: [Hestia’s Retainer]
[collapse]AbyssRaven Random boss monster encounter. Oh no.
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Thank you for reading this chapter.
Name: * Level: 23 Race: Panguana
Age: 13 Years
Status: Health: 5456/5456 Mana: 845/845
Strength: 2345 Intelligence: 330
Vitality: 2352 Wisdom: 1098
Agility: 4078 Stamina: 2989/3120
Effects: None
Skill: Physical skills and related:
[Enhanced Claws Lv. 9] [Enhanced Fangs Lv. 9] [Stamina Strike Lv. 5]
[Mana Strike Lv. 3] [Sundering Enhancement Lv. 6]
[Piercing Enhancement Lv. 6] [Crushing Enhancement Lv. 5]
Senses and movement skills:
[Stealth Lv. 7] [Accuracy Correction Lv. 2] [Concentration Lv. 1]
[Prediction Lv. 8] [Danger Perception Lv. 6]
[Probability Correction Lv. 6] [Enhanced Auditory Sense Lv. 5]
[Enhanced Olfactory Sense Lv. 5] [Enhanced Vision Lv. 2]
[Enhanced Enemy Sense Lv. 9]
[Tracking Lv. 6] [Night Vision Lv. 10] [Presence Killer Lv. 9] [Evasion Lv. 7]
[Acrobatic Lv. 7] [Terrain Maneuvering Lv. 7] [Swimming Lv. 7]
[Aquatic Fighter Lv. 6]
Resistances:
[Physical Resistance Lv. 8] [Pain Resistance Lv. 6] [Fear Resistance Lv. 3]
[Disease Resistance Lv. 6] [Bleed Resistance Lv. 3] [Poison Resistance Lv. 8]
[Paralyze Resistance Lv. 8] [Torpor Resistance Lv. 6] [Ice Resistance Lv. 1]
[Earth Resistance Lv. 5] [Wind Resistance Lv. 5] [Water Resistance Lv. 8]
Stat growths and related:
[Health Recovery Lv. 5] [Stamina Recovery Lv. 5]
[Enhanced Health Growth Lv. 4]
[Enhanced Health Capacity Lv. 3]
[Enhanced Strength Growth Lv. 5]
[Enhanced Strength Enforcement Lv. 4]
[Enhanced Vitality Growth Lv. 5]
[Enhanced Vitality Enforcement Lv. 3]
[Enhanced Wisdom Growth Lv. 1]
[Enhanced Agility Growth Lv. 6]
[Enhanced Agility Enforcement Lv. 4]
[Enhanced Stamina Growth Lv. 5]
[Enhanced Stamina Capacity Lv. 3]
Others:
[Molting Lv. 7]
[collapse]Sheesh, pretty high stats for pack animals. Why couldn’t you be like the chameleons?
I probably could take them on with my minor form, using magic to send down a barrage on them, but I really didn’t have the time for this. I had to hurry up, and with three C ranks in front of me, with stats only a bit lower than my dragon form, I shouldn’t be risking it.
Time to go dragon. However…
Before I transformed, I had to take off my party bracelet, as it would break if I were to transform. And this was something the panguana trio weren’t allowing me at all. They immediately pounced at me, giving me no time to even think of a strategy.
I was only able to react to this sudden attack purely ‘cause of my skills and buff spells. If [Prediction] and [Danger Perception] hadn’t warned me or if I hadn’t cast [Haste] and [Swift Winds] onto myself, then I would have been forced to rely on [Draconic Barrier] to ward off their attacks.
Narrowly ducking under the combined triple attack, I couldn’t help but fully acknowledged going into this with my dragonewt form wouldn’t work. Their Agility was higher than mine, right now, and that meant I had to actually focus to dodge them.
It also didn't help the area we were fighting in had water high enough it reached my legs. It only slowed me down by a bit, but any extra effort would sap my Stamina even further.
[“Sorry, no EXP for you, Tasianna. I can’t fight like this,”] I announced to Tasianna.
[“I-I understand! Do not worry about me, I’ll provide support as much as I can!”] she answered slightly anxious.
[“Good! Rajah, grab onto my shoulders, like your life is hanging on it!”] I shouted, making sure that my virigress pet understood my order.
“M-Mreow…,” knowing that I was correct, he made himself smaller and sat on my back like a backpack.
Parallel minds, I need some distance! Buy me some time! Terra Wall! Flame Explosion! The rest, shoot Inferno Blasts at them!
Snapping my head around, I threw away caution for the forest and dedicated myself to winning this battle. Still moving through the air, I constructed a wall made of earth in front of them, blocking their direct line of sight to me. Knowing they could easily sense me using [Enhanced Enemy Sense Lv. 9], I immediately readied multiple [Inferno Blast]s and [Flame Explosion], finishing my preparations.
Rajah sadly wasn’t Saori. If she was here, she could probably provide better combat support than Rajah throwing down some bombs, and even that plan was a bit dangerous since Rajah didn’t have proper protection in case of an incident. He was a bit of a burden, to be honest, but I just gotta wing it now.
While I was fiddling with my braclet, the three panguanas jumped out of the cover of my [Terra Wall], prompting me to activate my barrage of spells. Predicting something was about to happen, instead of dodging it, two of them simply shoved the one close to all the attacks. Even more surprising, he didn’t resist and embraced all the attacks.
The [Inferno Blast]s melted through his hardy scales, searing the flesh behind it. Taking all of these attacks, the panguana’s health melted until it reached 60%, that was when my [Flame Explosion] activated and sent the burning iguana-tiger chimera flying away. The sheer heat of these fire spells caused the surrounding water to evaporate, creating a smokescreen to hide the other panguanas from plain sight.
No level up? No way, did it survive?!
Without a System notification, if I gained experience or not, I was unsure if my attacks killed it or not, but I couldn't afford to pay attention to the heavily wounded one when the other two were still on their feet.
Using the sacrifice of their comrade, the two remaining monsters escaped my attacks with singed hairs and slightly cracked scales. Due to [Humanized (Moderate)] reducing my original Agility to 2851, [Swift Winds] wasn’t enough to significantly close in the difference. The stat contrast showed as I knew I couldn’t dodge their combined attacks in time.
[“Frozen Shield!”]
Fortunately for me, I wasn’t alone either. Unveiling the cyan-colored magic circle, Tasianna materialized a shield around my size in front of me to block the next attacks. It held strong, but the impact pushed the floating ice shield right onto my arms.
“Urghi.” Instantly feeling numb, I couldn’t help but moan as my wet scales stuck onto the freezing shield. [“[Cryokinesis]! Use it and help me push!”]
Enduring through the cold pain, I gripped the shield with my other hand and dragged the huge tower shield with Tasianna’s help to the side. As the panguanas’ legs were wet from the marsh, they shared my fate as their limbs were stuck on it, enabling me to pull them around.
“Wind Blast!”
Activating the wind spell behind the shield, it tore off my scales as it launched itself like a cannon forward. The two panguanas crashed right into a tree, only for them to recover almost instantaneously without any signs of pain, to tear off the shield stuck on them, before rushing back into battle like barbarians.
Almost done! I glanced at my bracelet, before gnashing my fangs together, causing a spark.
Spark Flame!
I spewed out intense dragon fire to defend myself. The powerful fire easily transformed anything liquid into a white mist. As the stream of fire showed no sign of disappearing, the panguanas understood they couldn’t attack while I kept using my dragon breath.
[“I-It’s too hot!”] Tasianna shouted, sweat covering her forehead from being close to my [Spark Flame].
Shit!
I snap shut my mouth, interrupting the stream of fire to let Tasianna cool down, before using a smaller flame breath to warm up my shivering arms before healing them with [Moderate Heal] to regrow my scales. At the same time, I finally had the time to pull my bracelet off and place it in my storage, before using [Humanize], finally having enough time to transform into a more suitable form to close into the stat difference.
While the mana mist surrounded my body, my lack of attacks allowed the panguana to charge at me. With the steam creating a smokescreen around me, the panguana probably couldn’t tell what was happening, but they probably were smart enough to understand I was planning something. With their massive arms, they swiped at me.
But, it was too late.
“Krrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
Roaring, I lunged forward, revealing my large agape dragon mouth. The shock in the panguanas’ eyes were clear to see, and it instantly turned into fear when I bit down into one of them.
Spark Fangs!
“Kruuuuuuuaaaah!”
Urgh! Blood!
My fangs dug right into his arm. My Strength was around 2783 right now, far higher than his, and with [Holy Strength] and [Strengthening Flames] active, it increased even further. With this new herculean strength, I turned the tides on the beasties, slamming my prey onto the ground before tearing his limb right off!
“Kraaaaaaaaahhh!” It howled in agony, only for me to drown it out with my own voice, using [Draconic Roar] to keep it pinned on the ground. They will come to learn they underestimated the wrong apex predator!
Without showing it any mercy, I snapped my fingers, wrapping them in searing hot flames with [Spark Claws]. Once I stopped roaring, noticing blood was dripping from its ears, I double slashed the monster’s throat, tearing out cooked pieces of meat with my sickle-like claws.
[“Duck!”]
Obeying Tasianna and [Prediction], I temporarily badoned my plans to kill the panguana off now and did what they wanted.
[“Ice Spike!”]
“Kriiiiieeeeh!” A viscous cry resounded above me.
Looking up, I saw an [Ice Spike] having penetrated the second panguana’s mouth. The sharp spike made it impossible for it to close its mouth. Digging my tail into the ground, I used it as an anchor, spinning my body around to gain the momentum to punch the panguana in its face.
Dragon Punch!!!!!!!! … Oh come, System! Give me a bone here and make it an ability already! Bummer…
[“Woo, nice shot, Tasianna.”] I praised Tasianna instead of lingering on that stupid idea.
Flustered by my praise, Tasianna stumbled on her words as she smiled. [“O-Oh, yes, thank you very much, Lady-watch out!”]
Agitated by Tasianna’s warning, I was about to cast [Sanctuary] but stopped when Tasianna shouted: "I can do it!". Turning my head around, I realized what was about to hit us wasn't claws or a bite but a white blade.
Struggling on my head, Tasianna stretched out her arms and told the frisbee to stop… which to my surprise, it did! Upon a closer look, the rotating object wasn’t a weapon but the cracked [Frozen Shield] Tasianna created.
[“W-Woah, I-I actually did it,”] Tasianna blurted out, seemingly surprised by her ability to control her own spell with [Cryokinesis].
Confused how a shard of that shield was thrown at us, I snapped my head around, only to see the third panguana — the one I burned into crisp — stand upright with the other shield shard in its mouth, ready to be thrown.
Oi, where are its burns?!
A quick search through its status board showed me that its miraculous regeneration was due to its [Molting] skill.
…He hasn’t fully regenerated his Health but that’s pretty strong if you give somebo— Hey!
The panguana with the ice spike in its jaw swiped at me, fighting on and once again showing how absolutely honey badger-like these things are. At least, their attitude when it comes to fighting. Even after all the things I showed them, even critically injuring one of them, they still couldn’t give a damn.
Well, I couldn’t give an F about them, then.
[“Lady Hestia!”] Tasianna called out, but I didn’t react to it, fully trusting Tasianna had it under control.
I instead headbutted the heavily injured panguana away before redirecting my focus on the second, dodging its attacks with my overwhelming Agility. Once an opening was there, I opened my mouth and spat out purple spit.
[Toxic Secretion] not only allowed me to sweat poison but also spit it out like a spitting snake. It might have [Poison Resistance], but even the panguana would feel pain if it got the toxins in its eye. With it blinded, I roared and threw a tail swipe at it, leaving a large gash on its body and sending it flying over.
Meanwhile, Tasianna used her [Cryokinesis] to throw the shield shards back at the third panguana, all while continuing her fire support with her spells. With three panguanas occupied, I had better end the job right here and now. I couldn’t allow it to [Molt] itself back up.
“Kuuugh…” the injured one groaned, trying its best to crawl away from me. However, as I said before, no mercy.
Jumping up with [Air Walk], I then cast [Wind Blast] on myself, once again astounded by the versatility of this spell. With the boost in speed, I twisted my body and slammed my tail right at its neck, decapitating it like an executioner’s blade.
Booom!
What?
As I was stuffing the beheaded panguana into my storage, I suddenly heard a giant explosion further in the rainforest, loud enough it sent a few birds flying into the air.
[“Bloody hell, they’re fighting! Tasianna, Rajah, we’re moving!”] I declared, reminded once again I didn’t have enough time here. Even if I got injured a bit, I had to hurry this fight up!
While I was summoning up multiple magic circles to prepare my rocket launch maneuver, I was suddenly hit in the head.
As Hestia was dealing with the three panguanas on her side, Caszcur and the lizardmen guards finally caught up with the two remaining ones and the group they were chasing.
“Hey, you algae infested corpse! Look over here, you stinking skink!” a loud, gruff lizard-like voice shouted.
“You two krill eaters afraid to fight us? Come and fight some actual warriors, you damn monsters!” another lizardman shouted from the top of his lungs.
"Don't look at them, look at me, you palette disasters! Smell the delicious aroma from this food? A fair-scaled one cooked for me, so if you want some then come and get it!" Holding the leftovers of today’s breakfast in his hand, one of the hunters waved it around himself.
These shouting lizards were none other than Casczur and the lizard group, barely able to keep up with the fast-moving panguanas. Even with Hestia’s buffs on them, it was plain impossible for the lizardmen to catch up to the agile panguana, however, with the terrain of the rainforest, it was also not possible for the beasts to run at full speed.
Being launched through the air, crashing and breaking through trees, wasn’t a very enjoyable experience for any of the lizardmen. The [Air Shield] surrounding them only protected them from the impact, not the nauseating effects.
Despite this hardship, the impromptu rocket-launch helped them land right in front of the panguanas. Quickly recovering from the landing due to [Featherfall] prevented all the fall damage, Caszcur and the others began throwing the poison bombs at the panguanas, however, to little effect.
Hestia, as she didn’t want to risk Caszcur’s life, decided to give them bombs filled with moderate grade poison gas, something she could heal in the worst case their [Air Shield] was dispelled. A wise decision, as the landing managed to destroy the air barrier around them, leaving them vulnerable.
Only slowly the panguanas a bit, Caszcur and the others were shocked to learn this, as they saw how effective Hestia’s toxins were yesterday. Not knowing what to do, they tried to threaten and look intimidating to scare the panguanas away.
They were courageous enough to insult the monsters who killed the remaining powerful hunters in their group, but they weren't stupid to attack them. Their role was not to fight and win but to buy Hestia enough time so she could arrive. They might be stronger than your average human farmer, but these lizardmen were outclassed against the vicious monsters of the Belzac forest.
Ignoring the small group, the panguanas ran past them and continued their original pursuit, forcing the rescue party to follow them. As they were outmatched against the C rank monster’s immensely high Agility, it was impossible for them to catch up even with [Haste] and [Swift Winds] buffs on them.
“Fuck! We have no choice now! I’m using our first bomb, so stay back!” Caszcur announced to the others.
As the two monsters were about to escape their sight, Caszcur decided to use the first of their three firebombs. Remembering Hestia’s instructions, he pulled out the pin and threw it using the Strength he gained from [Holy Strength] and [Strengthening Flame] at the running monsters.
As the bomb flew through the air, a gas slowly seeped into the chamber of the magic circle. As the concentration of gas increased there, it finally reached the necessary amount and exploded mid-air.
The giant flame explosion blew away trees, vegetation, and even the very ground. The panguanas, being fast enough to outrun the initial explosion were lucky enough to avoid any critical wounds, but it didn’t leave them unscathed as the shockwave caught them.
Disappearing from sight due to the smoke, the lizardmen were ecstatic their desperate throw actually hit the monsters. Rushing past the affected area, Caszcur and the lizardmen guards caught a glimpse of the fleeing group, finally confirming they truly were their lost comrades.
“Hey! Scalekins, it’s us, it’s us!” wavering his spear above his head, Caszcur used his husky voice to stop them from running. “Stop running, it’s us; your scalekins have come back for you!”
As the other lizardmen guard also joined in, the combined voices started to sound familiar to the fleeing lizardmen. As they turned their tired faces around, their desperate faces only got worse when they noticed what was approaching them. Whether it was fatigue due to a severe lack of sleep and food, or not knowing how to feel due to all the surprises they had witnessed today, the ragged group of missing lizardmen pointed their fingers at Caszcur’s direction, mumbling “L-L-Lo-Look.”
“Hey, don’t weep on us yet, you krill eaters. We still need to get you out of here!” misunderstanding their stuttering and widened eyes for elation and relief, Caszcur continued shouting cheerfully at the sight of his friends.
They might look like they went through hell but Caszcur recognized that quite a few lizardmen were still alive. Although he still remembered the dead comrade he found before and the total number of missing lizardmen were fewer than he wished, he wouldn’t let sadness control him now.
These lizardmen had lost their homes, became slaves, had to devour their own dying scalekins to stay alive, and now they actually went through the hell that was the Belzac forest. Caszcur’s heart stung from all the people he had lost over in these two tumultuous years.
However, it was through this hardship he learned to find joy and hope in the little things in life, even if they were fleeting. He wouldn’t have been able to keep onto his sanity over all this time without this reminder. He most likely would have fallen in despair just as Apsala, who had to personaly witness the deaths of many of their companions as the group’s healer.
That was why he wasn’t able to understand anything until the last moment.
"Look behind you!" a lizardman finally found the courage to warn their scale-kins… however, it was too late.
Dread filled his heart when Caszcur finally turned around, and in just like a flash he could only see blood… his own blood. Without letting his brain register the sensation, the momentum of the attack slammed his body onto the ground. The impact caused him to cough out any remaining air in his lungs as he lay on the ground battered.
“Kraa! Ha ha huff huff… huff-kraahhhhhhhhhhh!” Caszcur let out a scream filled with pain and anguish.
Getting back the oxygen he needed to survive, it only took his brain a few seconds to finally realize he was bleeding profusely. Pain coursed through his nerves until he was forced to yell in a pained voice as if it was a reflex.
“No, no, no, no, arrgh! My arm!”
Looking at the origin for his pain, Caszcur’s eyes were directed at the bloody stump that was once his forearm. He couldn’t believe it; he didn’t want to believe it. His dominant right hand was no more, his trusted body part he had been using to cut wood, polish them, and create tools and homes for his fellow scalekins was gone.
Without it, the effort he had given over these years seemingly vanished in his mind. The pain and fear wasn’t the reason for his hysteria, it was the fact the memories of these past years reminded him how fragile of an existence he was.
“Caszcur!” a lizardmen guard shouted.
“Surround him! Protect him, scalekins!” another shouted, ordering the other four guards to flank Caszcur.
“You slug brains! G-Get, argh, the hell away from me and help our scalekins!” Caszcur forced himself to speak, demanding everyone to protect the group they were planning to rescue.
“Fuck off, you krill eater!” a guard responded back in kind. “Haven’t you noticed yet? Instead of going for anybody else, they directly went for you!”
“Slice off the group’s head — you. Disorganize us by killing you,” another explained. "But I have the feeling they are just here for revenge. Hehe, just look at those skinks' faces, Caszcur."
The two panguana had them surrounded, one behind him and one directly in front of his face — the very same one that bit off his arm and was now dangling it in front of him. By turning his head around, he noticed what his comrades were telling him, that the panguana’s faces were charred red and black, the remnants of their scales melted off from the firebomb’s explosion.
“Haha, besides, don’t forget why we’re here,” a third spoke. “We only have to wait for our fair-scaled one. I have the feeling that the young scale is about finished with her part of the job. We bought enough time… now we just need to buy just a bit more… even if it costs us our lives.”
‘We die together, Caszcur.’ Caszcur managed to understand from his friend’s words.
Every single lizardman who joined this rescue mission knew the chances of surviving were low. Even with Hestia's healing spells, they couldn't be sure she would be around every single second, as it was the situation now.
They understood they joined purely so they could direct and help however they could to give Hestia the chance to rescue the rest. The lives of six elder scale lizardmen were nothing compared to the lives of the many, especially when it included many young scales. They were happy to trade theirs for them.
Lizardmen weren’t the most warlike beastmen race, but they still took pride in strength and hunting prowess. They might have been craftsmen, but their pride as men stung whenever they saw a hunter dying in front of them, protecting the important craftsmen of the group.
These six lizardmen couldn’t help but feel a bit of satisfaction that they could finally join their brethren by dying a heroic death to defend one of their own. There was no reason to fear their impending doom as they had done all they could.
“Yeah, we just need to buy some time and we… arghhhh!” a lizardman was interrupted by the swiping arms of a panguana.
Having finally had enough, the panguanas knocked the five guards out of the way, punting them away like ragdolls.
“Fuck… I guess this is it…” Caszcur mumbled as he slowly took out the two remaining bombs with his left arm, glaring at the panguana who was dangling his arm in its mouth. “You skink… I will die but I will take one of you down with me.”
As if it was done toying with its food, the panguana spit out the maimed forearm in front of Caszcur. The lizardman looked at his once trusted limb for a second, before directing his anger at the one responsible for it.
“Hehe, not even good enough for you to eat, huh? I’ll make you regret throwing away your last meal!”
Jumping on his feet, Caszcur pulled out the bombs and held the stick with his mouth, ready to pull them out any second now. Roaring “Kraaaaaaaaaaaah!” Caszcur ran towards the panguana with reckless abandon, confident that his self-sacrifice would be enough to save everybody, including his guard friends.
“Kriiiiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
Fully immersed by his own anger and revenge, Casczur wasn’t aware of anything else besides the monster who stood in front of him. Pulling the sticks out of the bombs, Caszcur was fully ready to die today.
I’ll leave the rest to you, little lady.
“Die with me!” Caszcur challenged the monster.
“Kriiiiiiiiiiiiiieheheh!” the panguana responded.
“Kriiiiiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
As if the force of the two voices combined, the surroundings began to tremble at the sound of their roars. Aiming to dodge the panguana’s attack, Caszcur readied his body to duck but little did he know that it was an unnecessary maneuver.
With the force of a landing boulder, something dropped from the sky and smashed the panguana into the ground, sending mud into the air from the sheer impact.
“Wha-!” blown away from the wind pressure, Caszcur wasn’t able to see who it was. As he recovered, his eyes widened when he learned what stopped his suicide attempt.
The person who crashed onto the panguana was covered in red scales and had a head that greatly resembled a lizardman’s. Her tail was wrapped around the neck of another panguana, while her left hand held onto a second with her long, sharp claws.
Her right hand was tightly holding onto the panguana he challenged with a fiery grip until she decided to rip its head out with sheer force. She growled, letting out a spray of fire out of her mouth.
The red-scaled girl's ferocity and appearance were all very similar to a lizardman but her large, imposing wings were an unusual sight and made it hard for Caszcur to believe who he was seeing. What was more eye-catching was the blue dress that conflicted greatly with her vibrant crimson red scales.
“Little Lady?”
“Kraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
It was a cry announcing her victory.
Have no fear! For I am here! I wanted to shout out but kept it to myself after my parallel minds warned me about how cringy it would sound.
Crashing down on the monster who was about to kill Caszcur, I thought it was the perfect moment to give a superhero entrance. Then again, maybe having Tasianna and Rajah grab onto my horns for dear life, while holding the corpses of the two other panguanas I just fought, did feel a bit anti-hero or something?
So, instead of doing that, I immediately locked my attention on the last remaining panguana and activated [Bedrock Blades] to erupt massive sharp rocks from the ground. Caught out surprised by my sudden appearance, the panguana wasn’t able to notice its doom, instantly dying from having its entire body pierced by sharp rocks.
No level up? Shame. Well, can’t help it with the bracelet back on.
“Little Lady? Is that you… no, wait, run!” I heard somebody shouting.
Looking down, I was able to see Caszcur lying on the ground while holding onto two of my firebombs with… one arm? No, I wasn’t imagining anything here; Caszcur was missing an arm and he was clutching onto the two last remaining bombs with dear life.
Realizing something was up, I jumped down and dash to his side after releasing the two corpses of panguana I carried over here.
[“Tasianna freeze his wound, now.”]
After hearing her say, “Your will, Lady Hestia.” I pulled Caszcur’s remaining arm away from his body. He was angrily shouting at me to “run away” and that I was “risking my life to help him.” It was “too late for him” apparently.
Thinking he was an even more of a drama queen than I was, I yanked the bombs away from him and sucked out the gas from the two bombs. As my bombs could only activate when the gas reached a certain concentration, you only needed to remove the toxic gas and they’d become unusable.
“Wha-?” Caszcur looked flabbergasted, maybe pale, but I couldn’t tell with all the scales on his face.
["Can't recognize me or is it something else, Caszcur? These are my bombs, of course, I know how to diffuse them,"] I said confidently.
Turning my head around, I was able to confirm that the other lizardmen guards were also alive, albeit they probably broke a bone or so. I was also able to see our rescue team was able to successfully rescue the lost lizardmen group, as I could see a large group of ragged looking ones mumbling to themselves.
I walked over to the spot where Cazscur's arm was and told Tasianna to freeze the stump. I didn't know if I could reattach Caszcur's arm but this was a good time to test the limits of my magic. If I could regenerate lost flesh, then I should be able to heal the lost limb back on him.
[“Well, there were some complications, but it seems this was a successful rescue attempt,”] I stated while kneeling beside Caszcur to heal all his wounds, aside from his right arm.
"… Haha, you truly are a girl of a lot of secrets, little lady. First, you can't speak and now you look like any other lizardkin… well besides your wings. Still, you came at the right time and saved my life. My debt to you is increasing by the second," Cascur said with a merry laugh.
[“I would have come earlier but there were some problems,”] I replied with a wry smile. [“As I said, I am a dragonewt… Well, for now. But I guess I can’t hide it anymore. Sorry about lying who I am, I’ll tell you later.”]
“I owe you my life. Night’s cloak, I don’t have a right to push you, haha!”
As I was taking care of Caszcur, Tasianna went around to tell the lizardmen guards to group up around me so I could heal them. She also took the liberty to speak with the lost lizardmen group, soothing and informing them about the situation.
While she was doing that, I retold Casczur about my little “accident.” See, when I was about to launch myself into the air, Rajah smacked me on the head from behind, making me flinch from that startling action. I was about to scold him for that but that was when I noticed the panguanas were planning to launch a last ditch effort to kill me
I didn’t notice it at first since I was worried for Caszcur, so it came as a surprise Rajah warned me of them. Annoyed by their persistence, I quickly took them down just moments before they died. I then grabbed them with my hand and tail, before blasting off with [Air Walk] and [Wind Blast].
Mid-flight, I transformed back into my minor form to put on my bracelet to activate the experience share for Tasianna. As they were too weakened at this point, it was a pretty easy kill. They were a bit heavy, but I just had to spam [Wind Blast] to make up for it.
Honestly, I was surprised Rajah of all people managed to notice them. Sure, he was smart and perceptive, but the fact he figured hitting me on the head — a dragon’s head — was the correct choice felt weird. Then again, having eyes on my back with him was pretty useful.
…Huh?
“Hmm? Something wrong, lass?” Caszcur asked me.
["Huh? Oh no, it's just… I dunno, I kinda have a feeling that we're being watched,"] I admitted, feeling tense. [“I don’t like this place.”]
After what happened when that garm stalked me in my early days, I honestly couldn’t stand being watched without knowing who it was.
“Well, if you think that’s the case then I guess we should move away. Tasianna seems to have calmed them down so I’ll get them to move as soon as possible. We need to get to a safer place anyways,” Caszcur stood up once I was done with him.
[“I know the ice is uncomfortable but hold onto it until I can figure out a way to save your arm, ok?”] I said.
“You’re gonna save my arm? Haha, I don’t know how you’re gonna do something like that, but I’m already prepared to be indebted to you again. You holy mages are a weird bunch… So, mind explaining to me what this ‘transforming’ thing you mentioned in that story?”
“Oh yeah, that’s what I wanted to talk about. You see, I’m not a dragonewt, I’m actually a drag— Woah!”
Suddenly the ground beneath me shook wildly, destabilizing my balance. That was when my skills finally activated and told me to jump away and as far as possible, ASAP! Before I could cast [Wind Blast] to blast me away, Rajah bit my arm, surprising me.
That was when my surprise turned into bewilderment as four long, dark snakes started to erupt out of Rajah’s feet and launched themselves at a nearby tree’s branch, pulling Rajah and me towards it.
Wha-? Is that [Shadow Snake]? I was reminded of the spell’s name as I had to deal with it when Tasianna and Saori nearly beat me using that spell during our spar.
Before I could ask any questions, the ground I stood on burst open to reveal an actual giant white snake. From the size of its mouth, If I stood any longer in that area, then I would have been turned into that snake’s snack.
… Identify!
Holy fucking crap!
SpoilerName: Tasianna Marina Silverpond Level: 48 Race: Fairy
Age: 87 Years Job: Mage
Status: Health: 697/697 (+145) Mana: 3265/3265 (+1087)
Strength: 151 (+86) Intelligence: 1296 (+423)
Vitality: 176 (+101) Wisdom: 875 (+316)
Agility: 932 (+324) Stamina: 719/719 (+305)
Effects: None
Skill Points: 6050 (+6050)
Skill: Magic skills and related:
[Fairy Magic] [Arcane Mind Lv. 7] (+1) [Ice Magic Lv. 2]
[Water Magic Lv. 7] (+1) [Water Amp] (New) [Wind Magic Lv. 3] (+1)
[Chant Revocation Lv. 5] (+1) [Silent Casting Lv. 1]
[Mental Stability Lv. 1] (New) [Mental Warfare Lv. 2]
Senses and movement skills:
[Stealth Lv. 3] (+1) [Accuracy Correction Lv. 1] (New)
[Enhanced Enemy Sense Lv. 3] (+1)
[Prediction Lv. 2] (+1) [Danger Perception Lv. 1] [Enhanced Vision Lv. 1]
[Night Vision Lv. 3] (+1) [Presence Killer Lv. 1] (New)
[Evasion Lv. 3] [Acrobatic Lv. 3] [Flight Acceleration Lv. 2] (+1)
[Mid-Air Maneuvering Lv. 1] [Concentration Lv. 4]
Resistance:
[Physical Resistance Lv. 3] [Pain Resistance Lv. 3]
[Poison Resistance Lv. 1] [Paralyzation Resistance Lv. 1]
[Torpor Resistance Lv. 1] [Mana Leak Resistance Lv. 1]
[Holy Resistance Lv. 1] [Fire Resistance Lv. 1]
[Water Resistance Lv. 4] [Earth Resistance Lv. 2]
[Wind Resistance Lv. 2] [Dark Resistance Lv. 1]
Stat growth and related:
[Stamina Recovery Lv. 1] (New)
[Enhanced Health Capacity Lv. 1]
[Enhanced Mana Growth Lv.´5] (+1)
[Enhanced Mana Capacity Lv. 3] (+1)
[Enhanced Intelligence Growth Lv. 5] (+1)
[Enhanced Intelligence Enforcement Lv. 3] (+1)
[Enhanced Vitality Enforcement Lv. 1]
[Enhanced Wisdom Growth Lv. 4]
[Enhanced Wisdom Enforcement Lv. 2] (+1)
[Enhanced Agility Growth Lv. 5] (+1)
[Enhanced Agility Enforcement Lv. 3] (+1)
[Enhanced Stamina Growth Lv. 2] (+1)
[Enhanced Stamina Enforcement Lv. 1]
Others:
[Singing Lv. 2] (New) [Dancing Lv. 1] (+1) [Identify Blocker Lv. 1] (New)
[Identify Lv. 3] (+1) [Cooking Lv. 3] (+2) [Herbalist Lv. 1] (New)
[Royal Etiquette Lv. 5] (+1) [Cryokinesis] [Telepathy]
Magic List: Custom spells:
[Create Water] [Greater Create Water]
Ice spells:
[Ice Spike] [Frozen Shield]
Water spells:
[Water Ball] [Water Wall] [Water Bolt] [Cleanse] [Protective Water]
[Droplet Torrent]
Wind spells:
[Wind Bullet] [Wind Cutter] [Air Shield]
Title: [Hestia’s Retainer]
[collapse]AbyssRaven Random boss monster encounter. Oh no.
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